90% of Phu Quoc Fish Sauce fishy?
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Approximately 90% of what is sold as “Phú Quốc Fish Sauce” is fake or below adequate standards of quality, the island’s fish sauce producers said this week.
The Association of Phú Quốc Fish Sauce Producers reported raw material shortages and higher production costs had dragged down output from 13-15 million liters in 2008 to less than 8 million liters in the first ten months of this year. Association chairwoman, Nguyễn Thị Tĩnh, also claimed genuine production is only one-tenth of the amount of fish sauce labeled as “from Phú Quốc” currently on the market.
The authentic sauce uses the long-jawed anchovy caught in waters surrounding PQ Island. The fresh black anchovies are fermented for long periods of time along with other natural ingredients. This method has remained essentially unchanged for centuries and results in a rich, nutty flavor and high levels of protein; as opposed to low-quality brands that ferment their sauces for a short time. They emit a strong fishy taste.
To get a Certificate of Origin (C/O) for Phú Quốc fish sauce, the 94 producers on PQ have to follow all production processes regulated by the fisheries sector and the fish sauce must be made and bottled on the island.
Update on PQ Casino Plans
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In addition to the commitment by the government to make the investment process easier (see previous news story), the other noteworthy local news from this year’s ViệtNam Top Property Opportunities conference was the open discussions by provincial authorities of Kiên Giáng which unveiled more details on their ambitious plan for the development of a casino on 100ha of land on PQ.
Kiên Giáng Province People’s Committee chairman Bùi Ngọc Sương told the conference that more than ten investors are bidding for the project, which is part of the province’s plan to boost tourism facilities on the island.
With our 150km long coastline, provincial officials approved a plan last year for PQ to become a high class resort island with the capacity to accommodate 3 million annual tourists by 2020.
The update on the casino plan was unveiled amidst concerns many ViệtNamese tourists visit casinos in other Southeast Asian countries, causing serious revenue losses.
The Ministry of Construction has already issued official documents to Ministry of Finance that approves the opening and operation casino services on PQ. Under the plan the Prime Minister had approved previously, PQ Island District would become a special administration and economic complex of the country – with its own set of unique, less restrictive set of rules and regulations. This would be done to allow the island to become a large tourism-resort centre as well as a centre of banking and finance in the Southeast Asia region.
While Sương didn’t give more details about the project, Nguyễn Ngọc Mỹ, president of VABIS GROUP, which specializes in entertainment services and golf, said specific regulations and plans were needed in order to attract investors to the casino and tourism-complex sector, which was fairly new in ViệtNam in general, and altogether foreign to Phú Quốc .
Government officials claim real estate investors will soon be allowed to focus 
on implementing their project without worrying about bureaucratic site clearance
and compensation processes.
“We actually know the obstacles in the way of investors who have struggled to implement their projects in ViệtNam,” said Đặng Huy Đông, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment.
“The government will step-by-step ease difficulties for them,” he said on October 14 at the ViệtNam Top Property Opportunities 2009 conference and exhibition in HCMCity.
Numerous local and foreign investors at the conference said that ViệtNam would not attract further investment if it failed to improve administrative procedures that were too time-consuming at the present time.
Martin H. Kaye, Chief Executive Officer of real estate investment Millennium Group said the group had prepared a US$1.6 billion project on PQ Island back in 2005 but received the license from the government only recently.
“If we had been licensed sooner, we would have implemented the project and created jobs for local people,” said Kaye. He agreed that improved procedures would help attract more investment. However, he cautioned, if the government focused only on new investors and neglected current ones, it would lose both new and current investors.
Millennium Group is a main shareholder of STARBAY HOLDINGS LTD and is one of the partners that participated in the formation of PHUQUOCLAND.
Đông also said the government would hold more auctions for land sites and will also encourage public-private partnerships in infrastructure development as further measures to boost the real estate sector.
The conference was organized for the second time in ViệtNam to have local and international investors share experiences and discuss with government officials the policies and environment needed for property development in the country. The ViệtNam Top Property Opportunities 2009 (VnTPO-2009) took place from October 20 to 22, 2009 at White Palace in HCM City. This year’s event had more participation from more than 200 foreign investors from 25 countries and hundreds of ViệtNamese firms.
1,500+ “Flying Grey Foxes” Found in PQ National Park
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Wildlife At Risk (WAR) today announced their finding a large population (1,500+) of Pteropus poliocephalus, known commonly as the “Flying Grey Foxes” in a wetland area of the Phu Quoc National Park. With a wingspan of up to 6 feet, their head resembles that of a small fox because of the small ears and large eyes.
WAR, the Australian non-governmental organization, reported that they are a protected species according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and have been added to the Vietnam’s Red Data Book (Sách đỏ Việt Nam).
Phu Quoc Project Manager and WAR CEO, Nguyễn Vũ Khôi, said the colony was under threat from local residents, who hunted the “Flying Foxes” because they ravaged local fruit orchards.
Technically bats, the genus Pteropus are the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as Flying Foxes among other numerous colloquial names. They live in the tropics and subtropics of Asia (including the Indian subcontinent), Australia, Indonesia, islands off East Africa (but not the mainland Africa), and a number of remote oceanic islands in both the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Characteristically, Flying Foxes only feed on nectar, blossom, pollen, and fruit, which explains their limited tropical distribution. They do not possess echolocation, a feature which helps the other sub-order of bats, the Microbats, locate and catch prey such as insects in mid-air. Instead, smell and eyesight are very well-developed in flying foxes. Feeding ranges can reach up to 40 miles. When it locates food, the flying fox “crashes” into foliage and grabs for it. It may also attempt to catch hold of a branch with its hind feet, then swing upside down — once attached and hanging, the Flying Fox draws food to its mouth with one of its hind feet or with the clawed thumbs at the top of its wings.
Pelage is long and silky with a dense underfur. No tail is present. As the name suggests, the head resembles that of a small fox because of the small ears and large eyes. Females have one pair of mammae located in the chest region. Ears are simple (long and pointed) with the outer margin forming an unbroken ring (a defining characteristic of megabats). Toes have sharp curved claws.
What happens when you take a highly acclaimed British journalist and author of 30+ books (ranging from thriller novels to books on gardening to a series of children’s stories) – and drop him off in Duong Dong? The next day, this former fine art dealer who lives in a medieval house in the Welsh border country, rents a Honda 50 from a hotel gardener and heads off to Cape Ganh Dau.
He then files a story with the Telegraph recounting his adventures on PQ.
While many of the specifics in his piece aren’t precisely correct, the broad vision he paints of our island is. “Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam offers chances to relax on the beach, explore fragrant countryside, marvel at wildlife – and enjoy sumptuous seafood. Just get there before mass tourism, says Sam Llewellyn. 
Sam Llewellyn’s books are published in 12 languages. He also works as a journalist for British and American newspapers such as the London Times and Daily Telegraph. He has earned a reputation as one of the world’s master storytellers and writers of maritime thrillers. Many of his books are founded in personal experience.
It’s nice to hear that from a gentleman of his expertise – however, his article does present a rather inflated version of prices in and around PQ
For example, he quotes VietNam airlines rates to/from SGN/PQ as US $267 (£165) – when, in reality, tickets can be had with just a couple of days advance purchase for half of that price. He also reports that rooms at LaVeranda start at $250 which is, again, twice the rate you frequently pay to stay there..
We hope those details don’t turn folks away. And, we do hope he (or more accurately, his expense account) actually paid those amounts – the island’s economy certainly needs the stimulus. His well-written article should definitely send a few more visitors our way.
More Investment $ To Help Kep Capture PQ Visitors
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Rotong Development Group, a Japanese company behind the proposed US$4 million tourist port in Krong Kep province Cambodia, has applied for approval to boost its investment to US $20 million and to also build a conference centre on site, The Phnom Penh Post reported.
According to a spokesperson for the company, approval for the additional aspects of the project has been granted by provincial authorities, but a decision was still pending from the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) and the Ministry for the Environment. Reportedly the investors have asked for a land concession on more than 100 hectares along the beach for the project.
Has Sareth, Krong Kep Governor, has already approved the expanded plan but cautioned: “I don’t know when a final decision will be made. It is now under the consideration of the relevant ministries and institutions to determine the environment impact of the development.”
Krong Kep province tourism chief Chhay Khoeun said the rationale for the expansion of the port project was to link the province to PQ island by the use of two ferries, each capable of holding 220 passengers. The province would attempt to encourage tourists visiting PQ to take the 90-minute journey to Kep, he explained.
“The master plan for the port development has been given the green light from Prime Minister Hun Sen already,” said Khoeun. He also reported that the port will be built at a new location, rather than as an upgrade of existing facilities.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon told the PP Post in May that Phu Quoc has become a popular destination for tourists in the region and could draw around 3 million tourists per year by 2012. Khon said the development will begin soon and would “only take six months to complete.”
No details on the background of the “Rotong Development Group” could immediately be uncovered – and its relationship (if any) with Rotong Restaurant (an inexpensive seafood restaurant on the beach in Kep that serves tremendous Kampot Pepper Crab) is also not yet know. PQ Confidential will keep you posted.
Phú Quốc INFO Opens
By · CommentsThe HCM City-based joint-stock company VIETBOOKS and its partners have launched a plan to open a chain of at least 63 stores nationwide which offer the latest ViệtNamese guidebooks, maps and postcards. The stores will phased-in over a four-year period (2009 – 2012). 
High in the priority of the company’s Phase 1 was PQ Island where the Phú Quốc Info Shop is now open offering guidebooks, postcards, maps and souvenirs. The store offers information on accommodations, food services and sightseeing opportunities.
Other stores opening in this “Major Tourist Center” Phase include Hà Nội Info, Ninh Bình Info, Khánh Hòa Info (Nha Trang, Vịnh Nha Trang, chùa Long Sơn), Quảng Nam Info (Hội An, Mỹ Sơn), Vũng Tàu Info and Info HCM City.
“Faced with a boom in visitor numbers and steadily rising revenues, ViệtNam’s tourism industry is well-placed for a rosy future, but has a lack of quality, locally produced guidebooks, tourist maps and postcards,” says Lê Trần Trường An, general director of VIETBOOKS. He added that his company would continue to publish new material to meet this need.
Master Plan for Developing Mekong Delta
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The development of a Master Plan was announced to promote a “tourism quadrangle” in the Mekong Delta (Cửu Long). It is being developed jointly by four local partners: the provinces of An Giang and Kiên Giang plus the cities of Cà Mau and Cần Thơ.
“The plan is being drawn-up because the industry needs co-operation between the ViệtNam National Administration of Tourism, tourist businesses and tourist business associations,” said Dr Do Cam Tho of the Institute of Tourism Research and Development under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Under the plan, PQ Island is slated to become an international-standard eco-tourism area. The draft plan for the island calls for luxury entertainment services, five-star hotels, casinos, conference halls, exhibition and trade centers, training facilities and programs for advanced scientific research.
The effort of a private ViệtNamese enterprise planning to develop Kiên Lương Thermoelectric Center 
got a big boast today when the government officially agreed to act as credit guarantor.
The Tân Tạo Group, with funds from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), will spend US$6.7 billion into developing a 4,400-MW thermal power center, the biggest of its kind in ViệtNam, in southern Kiên Giang province.
The coal-fired power center is scheduled to partly become operational in 2013 at a capacity of 1,200 MW, and run at full capacity in 2016.
Tân Tạo Group reports they also plan to invest approximately one billion U.S. dollars in building a seaport complex in the province to facilitate annual transport of some 10 million tons of coal from Australia and Indonesia to the power center.
The power plant is projected to meet the power demand of industrial parks in An Giang and Kiên Giang provinces, PQ Island, export electricity to Cambodia and add power to the national grid.
Investing in ViệtNam Now Possible on NY Stock Exchange
By · CommentsOn Friday, New York-based money manager Van Eck Global launched the first U.S.-based ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) offering investors exposure to the ViệtNamese market on the New York Stock Exchange (Ticker: VNM). Unfortunately, the timing related to the over-all global stock situation was not positive and shares in this fund dropped 13% in value as soon as it began trading (US$30 to US$26) – then fell to US$25.20 the next day. It has stayed in that range since then.
VNM was designed to give investors convenient exposure to ViệtNam, according the company; saying “Many believe the country’s greatest strength lies in its educated and young population, which underpins local economic growth prospects. Nearly half of ViệtNam’s population of 90 million is under the age of 25.”
“We are very pleased to offer U.S. investors access to one of the world’s most interesting emerging markets. With approximately 70 percent of the market cap of the underlying Index currently in locally-listed companies, this ETF offers investors convenient, one-trade access to a portfolio of ViệtNamese companies,” said Jan van Eck, Principal at Van Eck Global. “While ViệtNam is currently facing the pressures of inflation and current account deficits as well as the stresses of today’s global financial crisis, the country’s market reforms should help it regain its longer-term growth potential. We believe ViệtNam’s young demographic and increasing integration into the world marketplace will continue to appeal to foreign investors.”
Currently, they report approximately 70% of the market capitalization of the Index is composed of securities of companies domiciled and primarily listed on an exchange in ViệtNam and which generate at least 50% of revenues from ViệtNam; this percentage is expected to increase in the future. At its inception, VIET NAM DAIRY PRODUCTS, is the fund’s largest single holding. The remaining 30% is comprised of offshore companies which generate, or are expected to generate, at least 50% of their revenues from ViệtNam, or that demonstrate a significant and/or dominant position in the ViệtNamese market and are expected to grow.
Van Eck Global issued an offering brochure that makes their case for investing in ViệtNam (you can download a copy here).
Visit Suối Tranh waterfalls
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VietNamNet Bridge has a nice piece on encouraging folks to come and visit Suối Tranh waterfalls. “Visitors can have a bracing swim in the pure, cold water, watch the waterfall or pick forest orchids. You can also explore nearby caves, especially the Bat Cave with beautiful stalactites” it reports. Certainly, during this rainy time of year, the falls are magnificent however the 200 meter path can be treacherous. Still, well worth the effort and one of the finest photo-opportunities on PQ.
La Veranda to Change Brands on 1 September
By · CommentsAccor Hotels is making final preparations to rebrand the Grand Mercure La Veranda Resort and Spa in PQ as the group’s first MGallery Hotel in ViệtNam. The Grand Mercure will officially become La Veranda Resort, a member of the MGallery Collection of hotels, on 1 September 2009.
“Upon the completion of the brand enhancement program, which involves the development of new services and rituals and the deployment of a new identity unique to the hotel, La Veranda Resort and Spa will be a worthy addition to the MGallery collection of hotels” says Patrick Basset, Accor Vice President ViệtNam, Philippines, South Korea and Japan.
The MGallery network comprises 8 hotels and will grow to over 40 establishments in Europe, Middle-East, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America by end 2010. Accor now operates 10 hotels in different parts of ViệtNam, with such brands as Sofitel, Novotel, Pullman and Grand Mercure in HCMC, Hànội, Đà Lạt, Phan Thiết, Huế, Nhà Trắng, and Hạ Long.
With a design reminiscent of a French colonial seaside mansion, the 43-room and villa La Veranda Resort features dark woods, mosaic tiles, with exposed brickwork and ceiling fans, the hotel is a visit back to the days when ViệtNam was known as Indochine.
PQ Pearls – Real or Fake?
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Two enterprising reporters from Tuổi Trẻ daily (largest daily newspaper in ViệtNam – published in Vietnamese from HCM City) visited PQ recently to check-out the “local” pearls being sold on the island. They went to a pearl jewelry workshop in Duong To commune and purchased a single large pear and a pearl necklace for 500,000 đồng (US$29) each. The salesperson gave verbal assurance these were authentic “PQ pearls” – plus a written a one-year warranty. The reporters returned to HCM City and went to a credible expert who immediately declared that these were both counterfeit – worth about 30,000 to 40,000 đồng (US$2). Their research also showed that guides and drivers on PQ often receive 100,000 to 200,000 đồng (US$5.75 – US$11.50) for simply bringing a tourist to some pearl shops – plus a commission of 20% of anything purchased. They talked with LÊ QUỐC TUẤN at the Kiên Giang Department of Planning and Investment who discussed two genuine pearl producing enterprises on PQ. VietNamNet Bridge provided an excellent English version of this story.
PQ Station for Connecting to Vinasat-1 Now On-line
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The Vinasat-1 Phú Quốc Station, located in Hàm Ninh Telecommunications Station, center of PQ Island, was officially inaugurated and put into use on Friday, 7 Aug 2009.
This is the first island-district of the country to be installed the Vinasat-1 station. The Station has been built by the Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) with total investment capital of US$257,000.
The Vinasat-1 station will help improve telecommunications in the island by transmitting radio, television and telephone communications. In addition, it can prevent catastrophes and help with emergency rescue in case of storm, flood or other natural disaster.
VNPT is planning to deploy another receiving station next year, aiming at further meeting the communication demand of people who live in remote islands in the SouthWest coastal area of ViệtNam.
War Martyrs Honored
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Events today at Phú Quốc National War Martyrs’ Cemetery were some of dozens of memorial ceremonies and other activities held nationwide to mark the Day of Fallen Soldiers and Invalids. The ceremony on PQ this year was also held to bury the remains of 300 war martyrs recently found at the site of the Cay Dua Jail – a prison (commonly called “Coconut Prision”) built by the French and used extensively during the American War. Some 400 former Cay Dua Jail prisoners attended the ceremony as did Politburo member Trương Tấn Sang and Vice President Nguyễn Thị Doan.
Several companies in Nhà Trắng are making good, easy money from raising seahorses to sell in the domestic market and for export, thanks to a research project carried out by the Institute of Oceanography.
ViệtNam is home to seven of around 35 seahorse species, says Dr. Trương Sĩ Kỳ of the institute. Kỳ says seahorse husbandry is a low-risk business with small investments and high profit.
The animals can be kept in a concrete aquarium. They feed on small shrimps and mollusks and can be sold as pets after three months. After six to eight months, they can be sold to make traditional medicine or kept as breeders. They reproduce after 20 days to a month.
Kỳ says the institute has supplied between 5,000 and 10,000 seahorses every year to a French company that has an office in Hồ Chí Minh City. Seahorses that are sold as pets cost around US$1 apiece while the prices in other countries are much higher with no difference in quality, according to Kỳ.
The Institute of Oceanography is now transferring the know-how to breed seahorses to Đà Nẵng City’s Department of Science and Technology and to the Phú Quốc Marine Reserve. Both places are scheduled to breed the creatures by the end of this year.
The institute is also ready to supply the expertise to any individual or entity that wants to breed and raise seahorses, Kỳ said.
Travel agents throughout ViệtNam report a new trend: many high income ViệtNamese vacationers are choosing holidays at ‘international standard’ resorts in their own country instead of going abroad. 
According to Deputy Director Trần Thành Công of Hanoitourist, a growing number of ViệtNamese vacationers are choosing to spend their holidays in ‘internationally standardized resorts, where ViệtNamese language is spoken.’ He says these high income earners have lost interest in traveling to Southeast Asia, Western Europe, China, the US or South Korea.
Công reports these travelers tend to prefer short distance trips of only a few days’ duration with resorts along the central coast from Quảng Bình to Phan Thiết and on Phú Quốc Island most favored.
Such bookings already account for 20% of the clientele of some travel firms. And Công suggests that when ViệtNam’s economy develops more fully, there will be 10 million higher income domestic vacationers who will become a huge source of income for the nation’s tourism industry.
A recent survey by Saigon Giai Phong newspaper showed that 39 percent of 1,000 polled travelers said they mostly like the type of traveling associated with relaxing, while 49 percent said they like the services like massage and spa when they make tours and stay in resorts.
Thomas Reupke, a 41-year-old German national, has been named General Manager of Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi. Centara Hotels & Resorts is a leading Thai hotel chain with nearly 20 resort properties.
Prior to joining Centara, Reupke was Director of Operations at The Empire Hotel & Country Club in Brunei, and previous to that he was General Manager for the opening of the Long Beach Ancient Village Resort & Spa in PQ. He has also worked in various other positions the Middle East and Europe.
“The change in policy will help Eden ensure liquidity of business activities in a very difficult year,” said Eden Group’s 
chairman and general director Tạ Kim Hùng in the annual meeting of shareholders of Eden Joint Stock Company. The enterprise will change strategy to recover capital to invest in the final phases of some of its key projects, including the Eden Phú Quốc Resort which is now scheduled to open fall of 2009.
The three-star resort is the initial step of Eden’s long-term investment strategy on Phú Quốc Island, Hùng said. Their next project there is a 200-hectare Bãi Bổn “eco-tourist site” on a five-kilometer stretch of beach.
Eden Company is active in finance, investment, property, tourism and aviation. In 2008, the company obtained nearly VND3 trillion in cashflow and over VND17 billion in net profit, a 56% year-on-year increase.
Phú Quốc Island tour set to boost tourism in Cambodia
By · Comments The government of Cambodia is seeking new investment to develop a tourist port in coastal Kep province to
create a sea-link from their country to PQ Island, said Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism Thong Khon. “We have got the green light [from his government] to develop Kep as an international tourist port, now we are looking for a qualified investor to upgrade the dilapidated port or to build a new port in Kep province to link tourism destinations between the province and Phú Quốc island in ViệtNam,” he said in announcing plans to open a new tour that links Cambodia’s Kep and four other coastal provinces with PQ.
Mr Khon said he hoped that the new tour connecting the provinces of Koh Kong, Kông Pông Som, Kampot and Posat, would boost tourism to Cambodia since PQ Island “has emerged as an attractive destination for tourists in the region and according to some forecasts; it has the potential to draw around 3 million visitors annually by 2012.”
“There are two local and foreign investors interested in the project, but we have not made any decision yet,” he said. Thong Khon could not estimate how much the port investments would cost.
Outdoor massages tempt tourists on Phú Quốc beach
By · Comments Many visitors to Phú Quốc Island enjoy the massage services offered right on the beach. 
About 100 women offer massages both on the beaches and in resorts at about VND60,000 (US$3.50) per hour, earning from VND200,000 (US$11) to VND350,000 (US$20) a day (including tips) during the high season. While they may not be professionally trained, they have learned from experience and been taught by skilled practitioners and by some of the tourists themselves.
There are strict regulations which do not allow them to touch in any manner that is sexually stimulating or to visit hotel rooms or guest houses. Most follow those rules.
Leah in PQ to Prepare for Running a Marathon
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Back in Toronto, Canada, Leah McLaren is best known for her popular weekly column in The Globe and Mail’s LifeStyle section, but these days on Ong Long Beach, she’s seen by the locals as the strange lady who run for hours each day on the dirt roads in that part of PQ. The reality is, she is here training to run in a marathon.
“Running 27 kilometers on red-sand roads in organ-boiling heat is painful enough, without enduring the taunts of passing schoolchildren, who go whizzing by on motorbikes, leaving you humiliated and coughing in a cloud of dust and retreating laughter,” she says in a column in today’s Globe & Mail.
But, she’s not complaining. “I have often threatened to ’screw off to a beach somewhere and live in a hut for five dollars a day.’ I’ve just never had the guts (or the time or the freedom) – until now. And let me tell you, it’s just as sweet as it sounds. While it costs more than five bucks a day, a month on this island is still cheaper than a week’s rent in London. And the squid ceviche is better too.”
Leah is currently based in London. Her writing has been published in The Times of London, The London Evening Standard, The Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator magazine. She now divides her time between London, Toronto, a farm in Grafton, Ontario, and now, PQ.
You can read her column on PQ Island life by clicking here>
The Mekong Delta (đồng bằng sông Cửu Long) province of Kiên Giáng is earmarking nearly VND3 billion (US$171,600) for a forest-fire prevention and control program during the dry season, according to the provincial People’s Committee. It will cover two national parks – Phú Quốc and Hòn Đất – and five protected and special-use forests.
Cội Nguồn Museum in Dương Đông
By · CommentsAs ViệtNamNet Bridge says: “For those who eventually get bored relaxing on white sands and paddling in crystal blue waters, Phú Quốc Island’s sightseeing list has something else to tempt bird and dog lovers.”
The Cội Nguồn Museum, in Dương Đông is where curator and owner Huỳnh Phước Huệ displays artifacts and shows his flock of over 60 rare sea eagles and many pure-bred Phú Quốc dogs. The project has been a labor of love for Huệ who began the museum on his own and now employs 16 people and has as many as 200 visitors a day.
Tax Cut Begins to Lower Costs for Tourists to Visit PQ
By · CommentsBusinesses are beginning to lower prices of many products and services after the Government announced 5% VAT cuts on 18 categories of products and services – including many that are tourist oriented. Tào Văn Nghệ chairman of the 42-member Hồ Chí Minh City Hotel Association and General Director of Saigon’s Hotel Majestic (PQ Confidential’s favorite place to stay in HCM City) said that the decision on 5% VAT cut is good news for hotels, especially when they are all are facing the low occupancy rate.
Nguyễn Quốc Kỳ, Director of Vietravel, said that the firm recently had a working session with ViệtNam Airlines on cutting airfare for domestic flights. He said that Vietravel has already slashed tour fees for 21 routes, The tours in the north have seen the fee decrease by VND700,000/traveler, in the central region by VND500,000, while tour to Phú Quốc has enjoyed the fee decrease of VND200,000. Ky said that Vietravel is still considering further tour fee decreases. Apparently the reason flights to and from PQ were cut the least – even though they are the most expensive in-country routes, is because demand has remained high for travel to here – while it has dropped elsewhere.
Le Guide du Routard Viet Nam 2009
By · CommentsLe Guide du Routard VietNam 2009 (The Guide of the Traveller ViệtNam) – an updated, French travel guide by 
French journalist Olivier Page is hot off the press. The book gives readers fresh facts about the dos-and-dont’s of traipsing around the rugged and verdant countryside of ViệtNam. It replaces the very out-dated 1994 first edition. The 2009 edition has 600 pages. City maps pepper the pages, twice as many as in the earlier edition. The book mentions the construction of a new international airport project on Phú Quốc Island and its potential to “raise the pulse of the sleepy island.” Page says he was first attracted to ViệtNam for its war history, but loves other things besides. “My curiosity as a journalist draws me here. It’s a place where I feel very good. I love how direct ViệtNamese people are, their courage and the way they can make things from the most basic tools. I also love the culture and cuisine of Viet Nam. Its food is good, simple, economic and nutritious. I lost 3kg over two months and I feel great. I recommend ViệtNamese cuisine to everyone, in particular vegetarians. My favourite food is pho.”
Planned Dài Beach Project receives Golden Dragon Award
By · CommentsThis year’s Rồng Vàng (Golden Dragon) Awards were presented to 80 foreign-investment businesses in Hanoi to 
honor their achievements in advancing ViệtNam’s economic development. The 2008 awards ceremony was held on January 10th and was aired live on ViệtNam Television Channel 1.
The Golden Dragon Awards are made each year by ViệtNam Economic Times and the Foreign Investment Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Professor ĐÀO NGUYÊN CÁT, Editor-in-Chief of the ViệtNam Economic Times said that the Golden Dragon Awards had been established in 2001 to honor businesses “which had made excellent contributions to the national socio-economy, and which had promoted excellent reputations; and this year, especially, to those who had also handled themselves well, and made good business plans during this turbulent economic year.”
The Dài Beach project is being developed on a deserted pristine beach in northwest PQ by Starbay ViệtNam, an affiliate of Starbay Holding Group which is a subsidiary of Millennium Group (MG) of Hong Kong. Millennium is a group involved in the investment in and management of tourist-related real estate in the Pacific Asia with offices located in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Phnom Penh and HCM City. MG is currently engaged in the development of resorts in Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Middle-East, ViệtNam and Cambodia.
The project which has been approved to sit on 540 hectares bordering Bãi Dài, is in Gành Dầu commune. It has been designed to include two golf courses, numerous hotels, restaurants, rental villas, trade center, marina and conference facilities. The project is being developed in five stages over at least 12 years. It is projected to ultimately cost US$1.8 billion.
The developers have created a remarkable new website to promote this project: www.daibeach.com
Phu Quoc still paradise
By · Comments“Phu Quoc still paradise” reports the writer for the TIME OUT Supplement to VietNam Investment Review. Saying
“Previously Phu Quoc had been a secret. Anyone who visited at the turn of the century will recall a sleepy island with few tourist services and not much by the way of infrastructure. And despite the talk of a construction boom, for many years nothing much changed. But there are now signs of a more mass-tourist friendly Phu Quoc emerging.”
ViệtNam’s first satellite, VINASAT-1, was launched last April and has been considered very successful.
Now Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has announced that France would be the provider of technology and official development assistance for a second satellite that will be used to help ViệtNam map its natural resources and provide information about the environment and disasters. It will be particularly useful to support environmental efforts already underway in the PQ District of Kiên Giáng Province.
The satellite is scheduled to be operational in 2012. It will cost an estimated US$100 million and is intended to help free ViệtNam from reliance on satellite images provided by other countries.
ViệtNam plans to spend 2.5 Trillion đồng ($145 million US) on the development of power grids in eight island districts between now and 2010, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The plan has included a forecast of power demand for socio-economic development and national defense in the districts, namely Cô Tô in Quảng Ninh Province, Bach Long Vi in Hải Phòng City, Con Co in Quảng Trị Province, Lý Sơn in Quảng Ngãi Province, Phú Quý in Bình Thuận Province, Côn Đảo in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province, Phú Quoc and Kiên Hải in Kiên Giáng Province.
For the most part, in Phú Quoc District, the Ministry plans to build a 110 KV underground cable line (53 kilometers long) from Hà Tiên to the east of the island and another 110KV ground line, 12 kilometers in the period of 2011-2015.
Coconut Prison – Then & Now
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Phu Quoc Prison Cage
Not many tourists who go to Phu Quoc know that the island was home to one of VietNam’s most infamous war-era prisons writes Andy Tran in a cover story for the 29 Dec 08 TIMEOUT (Supplement of Vietnam Investment Review). It gives a detailed history of the site as well as what it’s like to visit it today.
New species of dragonfly found in PQ National Park
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New Dragonfly in Phu Quoc
An announcement was made 25 Dec 08 that a new species of dragonfly has been discovered on PQ Island by experts of Wildlife at Risk (WAR) and the Phu Quoc National Park. They named the species Rhinagrion mima (Karsch, 1891). This species of dragonfly lives along streams in virgin forests. W.A.R. says this latest discovery provides further evidence that the island of Phu Quoc, just 600kms sq., is a largely unexplored biological treasure trove of nationally, regionally and, in some cases, globally important species of fauna and flora.
Tourism hindered by poor infrastructure
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La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was reported to have said it was time for the tourism sector to stop focusing on how many foreign visitors travel to ViệtNam, but on how satisfied they feel.
Nguyen Manh Cuong, deputy head of the ViệtNam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said poor infrastructure was the biggest problem that the local tourism industry had to face now.
But the analysts said even the administration was not determined to solve the problem. They claimed the government set a higher target for the sector every year but it had not created any specific plans to improve infrastructure or develop accommodation for tourists.
Asia-Pacific Casino Guide (a2zCasino) reported today (25 Dec 08) that Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed in principle to the construction of a large tourism and entertainment centre with a casino on Phu Quoc. He has also asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to compile a decree on casino business. The National Assembly Standing Committee on December 23 discussed gambling and some deputies said Vietnam should license casinos so they country will not lose income from this business because many Vietnamese go to Macau or Cambodia to gamble.
Only Tours to PQ Fully Booked
By · CommentsViet Nam News reports that low prices for foreign and domestic tours announced by HCM City’s travel agencies last month have attracted many customers who have booked next month’s tours to several Asian countries. However, bookings for domestic tours are slower. According to Dung of Vietravel. “Only next month’s tours to Phú Quoc Island are fully booked.”
ViệtNam Airlines orders more planes
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ViệtNam Airlines placed an order for the purchase of 6 new ATR 72-500s, valued at over US$ 112 million. With these additional aircraft, and including the aircraft already on order, ViệtNam’s flag carrier will expand its fleet of ATR 72-500s up to 14 aircraft by 2010.
The airline said the additional planes were needed due to the rapid increase in demand for services from Hànội and HCM City to tourist destinations such as Nha Trang, Dalat, Phú Quoc , Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Luang Prabang.
Mai Linh Invesment Corp Comes to PQ
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The HCM City-based Mai Linh Group opened a branch named Mai Linh Phú Quoc Investment Co Ltd on 16 Dec 2008. The company officially began operation on PQ with initial capital of 6.8 billion đồng. Its first key activity is passenger transport including taxis, buses, rental cars and VIP tour services.
Mai Linh Group’s distinctive brand with its signature green color provides transportation, and related services in more than 50 cities throughout ViệtNam. First established 12th July 1993, it has grown to be an impressive corporation including 8 diversified sectors with more than 100 member companies.
The HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the War Remnants Museum, held a scientific seminar themed “Contributing to promote the value of the historical relic: Phú Quoc ’s prison of war” at the museum on 16 Dec 08, reports Thuy Nguyen in The Saigon Times.
Nguyen Ngoc Huan, manager of the relic management board of Kiên Giáng Province, said at the seminar that the central government agreed to give the province VND50 billion (about $2,850,000 US) while HCMC gave the province VND3 billion to upgrade and embellish the historical relic war prison on the An Thôi Commune at the southern tip of PQ.
New Phu Quoc airport holds key to island’s future
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On 9 Dec 08, VietNamNet Bridge published an in-depth article on why local authorities believe construction of the Phu Quoc International Airport which began last month is vital to the island’s development. The airport is being built by the Southern Airports Corporation at a cost of 970 million USD. When completed in mid-2012, it will be able to handle B767 and B747-400 aircraft and up to 7 million passengers and 27,600 tons of cargo a year. To tap the potential of the new airport, the province has said it needed an estimated 5 trillion VND (303.95 million USD) by 2010 to build infrastructure to attract foreign investments.
Hong Kong-flagged liner Jupiter Cruise will travel between ViệtNam and Cambodia later this month, targeting
wealthy visitors from both countries, the ship’s owner said in a statement on 5 Dec.
Its four-star ship, Jupiter, which is 175 meters long and 22 meters wide, offers restaurants, a health spa, karaoke rooms, a dance hall and entertainment area. It is capable of carrying 1,200 people.
The program will be organized in partnership with local travel firm SeaStar Corp as a strategic partner to co-exploit the Phú Quoc sea tourism opportunity.
Huynh Van Son, CEO of SeaStar, said the two companies would also collaborate to develop tourism infrastructure on Phú Quoc and expand the route to other destinations like Nha Trang, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh.
Indochina Airlines – the first private carrier in ViệtNam on November 25 officially started operation with the first flight departing from HCM City to Hànội.
On the same day, Indochina Airlines had also five other flights departing from HCM City to Hànội and Đà Nẵng by Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The company will use two Boeing B737-800 planes for 4 flights on the route from HCM City to Hànội and two flights on the route of HCM City to Đà Nẵng.
Reportedly, Indochina Airlines started selling tickets from November 10 with14 types of tickets, of which the highest level is at 1.7 million đồng for a singly trip between HCM City and Hànội. Up to late November 24, all the six flights were full on the first day with about 282 seats including 162 ordinary class seats and 12 business class seats in each flight.
For the first two-years, Indochina Airlines plans to develop the route from HCM City to Hànội, Đà Nẵng and other tourism destinations such as Huế, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phú Quoc , Can Tho and Vinh and then to other countries in the region by 2010.
At the same time, the carrier also plans to buy 10 Boeing 737-800 aircrafts by 2014.
Indochina Airlines launched online payment and ticket selling system together with other information at the website www.indochinaairlines.vn
Pepper output on PQ down by 50%, says Saigon Times
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Pepper output from Phú Quoc Island, one of the nation’s main growing areas, has halved on lower 
prices and higher costs, the Saigon Times Daily said, citing Ông Lương Công Chủ, chairman of the local Farmers’ Union. PQ islanders incurred heavy losses because of costlier bank debt and a 20 percent rise in fertilizer and labor costs, the newspaper said. Prices have halved to 32,000 đồng ($1.90US) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) from a year earlier, the report said. The number of families growing pepper in Kiên Giáng Province has shrunk to 450, down by half from last year, Chu was quoted as saying.
